Ozempic Vision: How Common, How Long It Lasts, What Helps
The Ozempic label names retinopathy as a reported side effect but gives no trial rate for it.
- In the label
- Listed, no rate given
- Label term
- retinopathy
A quick look at Ozempic
With a half-life of about 1 week, half disappears after 7 d; about 3% remains after five half-lives (35 d).
In SUSTAIN 1, people with type 2 diabetes lost 4.7 kg over 30 weeks, compared with 1.2 kg on placebo.
In US dollars, monthly prices include the list price and self-pay offers. Each figure comes from the maker's price page.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), healthsystemtracker.org, prnewswire.com 1 2.
What the Ozempic label lists instead
The Ozempic label provides no rate for vision changes. That label lists five side effects that occur most often, with rates for each.
| Side effect | Placebo | Ozempic 0.5 mg | Ozempic 1 mg | More than placebo, 1 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 6.1% | 15.8% | 20.3% | +14.2 points |
| Vomiting | 2.3% | 5% | 9.2% | +6.9 points |
| Diarrhea | 1.9% | 8.5% | 8.8% | +6.9 points |
| Abdominal pain | 4.6% | 7.3% | 5.7% | +1.1 points |
| Constipation | 1.5% | 5% | 3.1% | +1.6 points |
Source: Ozempic label (DailyMed).
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).
What the Ozempic label says
The label lists vision changes using these exact words:
“with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, more events of diabetic retinopathy complications occurred in patients treated with OZEMPIC (3.0%) compared to placebo (1.8%).”
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).